Great Falls tribune., 1887-07-20

A week since equipped with well
stored commissary and bedding the writ
| er, in company with James Chamberlin
Nj. D,vis, P H. Malooney and Jack vii
son. set out for the new town of Castle fol
a tour of the mines recently discovered il
the Castle range. Our route lay up the
south fork of Smith river and down the
south fork of the MusseIshell, Or rather
across the rolling lands at the head of the
| tributaries of the latter stream.
/ AMONG THE MINES.
At a. NJ we drove into the embrvo
city of Castle, piched our tent on the only
vacant lot In town and were soon girdine
| ourselves about for tramp among the
mines. The town of Castle contains two
dwellings, two saloons, a restaurant and
| lodging house-though neither are quite
complete-an assay office, store and a
| half dozen tents. Having no time to lose
we were soon on the 60. About mile
| above town we came to the Cumberland
mine. At the mine we found things pro-
crossing briskly under the management
of Messrs. Ash & King. They Were work
| ing night and day shift and for appli-
| ances at hand were doing we'll. On en-
tering the mine we found the vein good
| and strong and well defined, and the ore
| taken out very rich. The amount of waste
| was also small in proportion to the amount
| of ore taken out.
| From the Cumberland we went to the
Yellowstone. This is also fine prospect;
has a shaft down seventeen feet, and shows
a splendid vein of very rich ore and is
scarcely second to the Cumberland. The
Morning Star was next visited. This had
considerable work done on it and devel-
open vein fully forty sect in width, and
we were shown a quantity of ore from it
that assayed 800 ounces in silver, though
much Of the lead matter is low grade cop
per- This mine is situated well for work.
ing, and mining experts pronounce it as
fine prospect as there is in the camp.
From the Star we tramped away to the
Hidden Treasure. Here we found pros
pect hole twenty-five feet in depth, a big
pile of rich ore and nice little vein pref
ty we'll developed and well Worth greater
development.
On the following day we visited the
American, Great Eastern and several other
prospects. This required a journey Of
some three or four miles over rough
country, but the prospects examined fully
repaid our toll. The leads visited on this
occasion were undeveloped, but prospect
well and promise to have gIeat width
possibly one hundred foot OF crevice.
Nearly every lead is contact vein be-
tween lime and porphyry of granite and
phophyry; and we have every confidence
in some OF them proving immensely valu-
able. Probably no camp in the territory
ever showed better prospects for the
amount of work done or Inore ore. AS to
how rapidly it will develop much depends
upon the energy of the owners. We do
not anticipate that the camp will become
q second Leadville or that another Butte
will arise at Castle, but where one hun
dred and fifty tons of ore is taken out of a
prospect hole less than ninety feet in
depth there is certainly reason to expect
big things of the country, especially when
the ore averages forty-five per cent in lead
and forty ounces in silver.
THE BASIS OF GOOD CAMP.
Hensley Bros, the founders of the camp,
are very enterprising gentlemen, having
done no small amount of digging and
road building and will reap arichreward.
The merchant of the place is a very pleas
ant gentlem an and very sanguine of the
future of the place. Messrs. Ash s. King,
though new in the mining field, have un-
doubtedly hit on good thing, and will
take the Cumberland at thessamount of the
bond-$50.000. There are number of
Springs gentlemen in the district, but the
majority OF the prospectors are inexpe1i-
enced miners from Billings. The general
aspect of the country is favorable for min
ing, but the hills are generally well COW
cred with soil and the prospectors find it
laborous to hunt for new leads. The lo-
Gated prospects, however, crop out of the
ground very boldly, and some of them
stand up in huge houlders and cliffs. The
mineral belt is seven or eight miles in
length, but seems to be narrow. One lead
Or what is supposed to be the same lead
is located for distance of three and
half miles and the openings at each dis
covery seem to clearly prove that a con-
tact vein Of ore follows the lime and gran
ite the entire length of the mountain
range. There is seemingly everything
necessary for good camp: Timber in
great abundance is near at hand and there
is also good water power, besides, it is
not over six miles to Bivens' coal field or
fifteen miles to G. w. Dunn's and John
Reese's coal prospect. Thus viewed with
unpreiudiced eyes we look upon it as a
prospect. to say the least, among thou
sand, and promising in the extreme
NEW INcoRPoRATIoNs.
HELENA, July 1s-A new company
called the independence Gold Mining
Company has been formed here. The in
corporators are S. T. Hauser, D. 4. G.
Floweree, A. NJ. Hotter, G. Z. Vawter, J.
. H. Shober and John Kinna. The proper
ty proposed to be worked is a ricA gold
lead in heCataract district.
HELEFA, July 19.-six mining COM
panies have been Incorporated. They are
as follows: The Paymaster Mining Com
pany, capital $3.50, 900. in shares of So.
Object, to develop and work the Paynas
ter lode, and other mining property.
Tuscarora Mining and Smelling Com
pany Incorporators, e. Muller, w. A.
Clark, George 3. lockwood and ]. g.
Hammer. Capital, Ss40o, 900, id shares Of
81. Principal Office. Butte.
Montana Mining and Reduction Com
pany. Incorporators, John O. Brisco, G..
3. Cole and 3, p. Edgerton. Capital,